Two weeks ago my colleague Tim Stiffler-Dean wrote up an excellent editorial on the HP Pre3 and how we need to have patience. After all, relationships between carriers and manufacturers take time, as does certification and software development. And as we expected, the comments filled in quickly with a metric tonne of readers asking, nay, pleading for a Pre3 on Sprint.

And believe us, we understand. There’s something about webOS that’s addicting. While there are still at least tens of thousands of Palm Pre owners on Sprint, we hear all the time from those that have switched to Android, iOS, and Windows Phone 7 that they miss webOS and would consider coming back for better hardware.

And then there are all of the aforementioned Sprint Pre owners, many of whom purchased on launch day more than two years ago. They’ve fallen in love with webOS and invested in apps, promoting it to friends, family, and strangers, and for some – buying replacement devices when Sprint offers none. They’ve watched with hope and envy as Palm and now HP released newer and better devices onto AT&T and Verizon and other carriers around the world, only to be disappointed by these new powerful phones not being available on their carrier of choice. They waited patiently for the promised webOS 2.0 update that would breath new life into their tired old phones, only to be let down in a most frustrating manner. And it was only yesterday when all of the disappointed webOS users and fans learned what HP meant when they said they were going to "make it right" after these mess-ups, though we can't say too many of you are thrilled with what's been offered.

webOS fans are a funny bunch. That’s not meant in a “you’re humorous” type, which you are, but that you’re the kind of fan that’s puzzling to marketers. You’re like the fans that tried to the to raise enough money to finance a fifth season of Star Trek: Enterprise. You’re like the people that wait outside a restaurant for hours so that they can pay for a meal, just because it’s that good. You’re super fans, and that makes you awesome. Despite every way you’ve been disappointed by Palm and HP, and all the amazing new devices released by Apple, HTC, and Samsung, you’ve stood by your OS. And it’s important to note that you’re webOS fans and not Palm or HP fans. It’s the OS that’s kept you around this long.

We know that HP is giving a $50 discount on the 32GB version of the TouchPad to fulfill that promise they made 5 months ago, but is that really enough for you? It’s an interesting question, because right now we’re sure many of you would just accept the Pre3 being available on your carrier of choice as enough to make things right. You want that new phone, with its new OS and fancy processor and gorgeous screen. In fact, that’s just about the only way it can be made up to you – HP’s certainly not going to invest the energy into making webOS 2.0 run well on the Pre and Pre Plus, and without webOS 2.0, you can’t have the new App Catalog and HP can’t even give you discount codes to go and buy a bunch of apps.

HP could, theoretically, offer a discount on a Pre3 on AT&T or Verizon, but that puts the Sprint Pre owner into yet another bind. While many have stated that they’ll dump Sprint after several years as a loyal customer for the Pre3 on another carrier, plenty more have voiced their unwillingness to leave Sprint. The only thing that’s going to satisfy them is a Pre3 (or better webOS smartphone) on Sprint.

Of course, it’s entirely possible that HP wants to offer the Pre3 on Sprint. Why wouldn’t they? It’s a carrier with a modest, but fiercely loyal webOS userbase already in place, one that’s clamoring to buy a Pre3. The problem is Sprint. They’ve got to be hesitant about carrying a new webOS phone after the marketing, sales, and quality debacle that was the Pre and Pixi. Sprint likely still looks at webOS with a wary eye, given all that they invested in it and the poor results they got in return. Since then, Sprint’s gone all-in with Android and actually enjoyed a reasonable amount of success. To this day the year-old HTC Evo 4G is one of the best-selling Android devices, and it’s soon to be followed-up by the even-more-impressive Evo 3D.

We know that the fans have been bombarding Sprint with requests for the Pre3, through official and unofficial channels. There's the previously mentioned billion comments on every article here, plus posts on Twitter, Facebook, our forums, Sprint's forums, and everywhere else. A number have even taken the step of contacting Sprint - and Sprint CEO Dan Hesse - directly, which has usually been met with a form reply about how they don't comment on unannounced products and that they have several worthy Android devices to choose from. But the barrage of emails might be getting through to Sprint, as just this weekend one of our readers reported that Sprint replied to him with an email that at least acknowledged the number of requests for the phone. Does that mean much? Not really, but it's a sign that Sprint at least knows there are plenty of webOS fans who want the phone.

Even for fans like these, patience is a limited resource. Eventually, if nothing’s been done to “make things right” to their satisfaction, they’ll release their grip on their old Palm Pre and grab something else on Sprint. There’s no shortage of quality Android phones on the carrier, and while these fans will always look with longing at webOS, they’ll never speak well of HP.

It’s like that restaurant that has amazing food, but also has horrible service. Yeah, that one. Somebody’s asking what’s good around here, and you’ll say, “Montana’s has amazing steak, but the service is just awful.” Nobody’s going to hear that and say “I want to go there!” Just like nobody’s going to be enticed to pick up a webOS phone after being told, “webOS is awesome, I love it, but HP let me down too many times.” Word of mouth is a very powerful tool, both for and against products. It elevated The Hangover to smash hit status, while word of mouth seriously hurt Microsoft after customers started expressing dissatisfaction with Windows Vista.

Loyal fans like those thousands of Sprint Pre owners are the best advocates HP could buy. After two years they’re still using a phone that’s woefully underpowered by today’s standards, and can’t even run the latest software. They’ve accepted all of its flaws and disappointments because the love it, but every day they’re tempted by a new piece of hardware and a newly updated competing OS that has that one feature they’ve been waiting two year for it to come to webOS.

They want to stay on webOS, they want to be satisfied by HP. They want to be able to recommend to their friends that they should buy this phone, because the OS and company behind it are awesome and are doing great things. But right now, they just can’t. Even if the Pre3 on AT&T and Verizon is awesome, the massive disenchantment that would result from it not getting on Sprint would cause a horrible backlash.

webOS fans are a funny bunch. But they’re a loyal and vocal bunch. They want for HP and Sprint to make it right, and HP has offered what they think is a reasonable solution with that TouchPad discount, but it's still not enough for those users waiting for a new webOS smartphone to use as a daily driver. The ball's in your court, HP, let's make something really happen now, for the sake of all that is holy and just, and the sanity of us all (especially though original Sprint Pre owners), please make something happen.

272 Comments

That's an awesome option, but there's got to be overhead associated with commissioning a phone on a network. That plus it could turn into a customer service nightmare when there's a rare but complex phone none of their reps know anything about.

Sadly I think they'd have to commit to at least the scale of one of their less popular Android phones to even consider it.

Listen... I love webos, but I can't justify paying Verizon or AT&T more money for less than what Sprint offers.
Why!? Why would anyone want to switch away from such an awesome monthly plan to a more strict and higher priced plan!??
I love WebOS, but I wouldn't leave Sprint.
If the pre3 is not on Sprint, I am hoping that the geniuses here at pre-central can hack the verizon pre 3 to work on sprint.

WebOS fans aren't a 'funny' bunch.... these guys are the whiniest, whingiest bunch of self-entitled brats I've ever seen. Especially the lot that posts to these threads. It doesn't matter what HP does to 'make things right', they would want more. Or they'd instantly move on to complaining about some other thing. HP could release an indestructible phone the thickness of a kindle with an optional slideout keyboard and screen size that magically expands up and down, could see 5 minutes into the future, make toast and have a lifetime warranty with guaranteed OS and hardware upgrades all for $99 and you'd see the same pisspot posters finding something to cry about.

No other time did a carrier make a device it's flagship and then totally ignore it. Imagine Apple stopped carrying the iphone a year in, you'd have millions of people addicted to an OS with tons of time and money spent and nothing to show for it. Phones are not a luxury anymore. The Pre3 is a good phone, unlike the Pre- and Sprint should come through and offer it. They don't need a major advertising splash, buy limited stock, or sell online only, and we will come and be satisfied.

HP could easily have said that they are offering a $50 discount on buying a Pre 3 on ANY carrier, which would apply to any contract price. Work that in so it goes through the carriers(so if you order from AT&T or Verizon you don't have to deal with a mail-in rebate or trying to find proof of purchase).

I bought my Pre Plus from AT&T, they KNOW I bought my Pre Plus, so I should be able to just order a Pre 3, and have the price drop by $50 over what others would see. If the price drops below $0 for whatever reason, I would get a credit.

Now, one way to also limit this would be to make it ONLY apply to those who have been loyal and waiting, meaning "current device must be a WebOS device" for that offer to apply. Those who "moved on to Android" then would have to switch back before they got the offer.

Then again, having a valid Palm Profile could also be used to verify that you get the deal. Some "activation app" they put in the app catalog that would send a request to our carrier of choice that would unlock the deal.

I don't consider expecting a deal on a replacement PHONE to be asking too much. Not everyone wants or cares about tablets, but cell phones are as common as a wrist watch.

it does boggle the mind why HP just doesn't MAKE IT RIGHT with Sprint...it would be guaranteed WebOS addicts fighting for the door to get a Pre 3 and word of mouth would help WebOS spread the word....how much could it cost? the price of a few commericals....if sprint lost on the launch day pre's then there must be a price HP CAN PAY!!!!!!!!!!

Ummm, I'm sure HP would let Sprint carry the phone if they wanted to...the decision is Sprint's not HP's. Are you suggesting that HP should give concessions to Sprint, a 2nd tier carrier, to get them to take the phone when the top tier carriers are willing to take it with no concessions? That's not very good business or common sense.

Guys, I felt that I should tell you all, don't expect a Pre3 on Sprint any time soon.

The other day I met with an HP technical liason who demo'ed the Touchpad for me and a few others. (VERY cool BTW. He had an AT&T 4G version of the Touchpad, which will be launched in August, both 16 and 32 gig capacities, with a 64gig wifi and 4G version to follow in September.)

He also had a pre-production Pre3 with him, one of the 5 pre-production units that were HAND built for that announcement event they had earlier this year. It had both the HP and Palm logos on it and a pre-production code stamped into the side.

Obviously, as a Pre- user I had to ask, "Is it coming to Sprint?" He basically said: "Not by the August launch, if at all. Sprint has not been wanting to deal with us. We have been trying, but Sprint just doesn't seem to want to carry our devices."

So yeah, don't expect to see the Pre3 on Sprint ANY time soon. I'm already making plans to switch to Verizon. It sucks, and I'm NOT happy about having to go to a limited bandwidth carrier just to get my beloved WebOS, but if that is what it takes, then that is what it takes. I'm not moving to Android. It isn't happening.

Sprint has been doing everything it can to take our Pres away and give us Androids in return but we are still sticking with our Pres. Why? because it's so much easier and more intuitive to use.

I have personally convinced 3 people to buy webOS phones. If HP doesn't bring a new webOS phone to Sprint I will soon be forced into buying an Android. How is that going to look for those who I convinced in buying webOS phones?

I have 2 Pre- (the wife and I) and both are on life support. My wife needs a headset to speak and mine slows to a snails pace regularly. What does $50 off a touchpad do for me? "Making things Right" should make me spend $1200 on 2 touchpads less $100 in rebates? No, it should be $100 off a phone to induce Sprint customers to switch to Verizon.

You should do a frankenPre2 for you and your wife. The difference in quality is astounding. It's a fairly simple procedure that looks and sounds more complicated than it is... your wife will drag you into bed when she sees the work you did to get her a beautiful new phone.

The frankenPre2 is what's allowing me to weather the storm with Sprint until an announcement is made, but I wish HP would make an announcement before Verizon kills off their unlimited plans next week.

Thanks for acknowledging the exact stance/feelings/behavior of what is probably still the bulk of your readers here.

Facing it head-on rather than pretending the comments/forums aren't blowing up about this issue with every story = win.

For myself, I'm giving up on waiting w/my current Pre. It's seriously in such bad shape I have no more options. My most likely paths forward:

a) Obtain a FrankenPre2
b) Buy a friend's used Samsung Epic 4G, hold my nose, and go Android for a while

Either way, I'm fairly confident I'll get frustrated with each experience (android or unsupported hardware on sprint) after a few months, and by that time I'll see what the possibilities of the Pre3 on Sprint are, and see if I'm sticking with them or telling them to go f*ck themselves and move over to Verizon or AT&T.

*yawn* What a pointless article, Derrek. I guess when you can no longer keep up with webOS Roundup in terms of news, you might as well make these kinds of opinion pieces to keep eyeballs coming back to Precentral.

Very, very well said Derek! I am on my 3rd original Pre. I got it the next weekend after launch and I will wait patiently for a Pre 3 on Sprint. If they skip it, I'm gonna be forced to get an Android. *hangs head low*

Sorry, but I just don't have any desire to read over a hundred comments from people who want to pay a lower price for their smartphone. It certainly is understandable. It's just not interesting. At all.

I would probably feel the same way if I were you. However, I wouldn't call it loyalty. Reading about it? I'd call that boredom.

Why is this article being posted now? We would not expect any news on this at this point. The Pre2 came out a little less than 5 months ago, they needed it to have some time in the limelight before completely crushing those adopters by releasing a Pre3 right after. The Veer has come out. The Touchpad is out, or at least for sale on Friday. The Pre3 has been announced to be on a couple carriers in 2-3 weeks. HP has stated that it is trying to get new webOS devices out nearly every month. That said I would fully anticipate a new webOS device on Sprint a month or two after the Pre3s come out.

If they also want to offer the Pre3 on Sprint at the same time that is fine because I know Sprint seems to have a fondness for physical keyboards, but I would have no problem whatsoever, if the next webOS device on Sprint came a month or two after the Pre3 and supported 4G and had a 8MP camera with the ability to capture 1080p. To me, that would be making things right.

The fact that we haven't heard other news as of yet is somewhat disheartening, but understanding considering they are trying to release so many devices in the same few months and want people to purchase those before a possibly better product releases on its heels.

Don't know really if this is feasible or not.
But can we do a full page Newspaper advert open letter to both HP and Sprint on a national Daily.
I am ready to pool in if this generates nough interest.(I am from UK and a webos fanatic with a pre- on its last leg and refusing to move on...)
I think if we can do this full page open letter it would at least have some impact and worst case we would have put our thoughts loud and clear and once and for all....

I'm in the camp that will be leaving Sprint to get a Pre3, but I'm not going to like it. I'll be moving one out of my 4 lines so instead off paying essentially $30/mo on Sprint for that line I'll be paying $100+ on AT&T. I'm a little pissed at both HP and Sprint at this point.

I'm a Sprint customer, but I'm honestly not too worried about any of this. I would be happy to stay with Sprint, but upgrading the phones will cost me an extra $30 per month in premium data fees so I can subsidize 4g users and SERO plan users.

Luckily, I have family on both Verizon and ATT. We could merge our plan with those on either of these carriers, and all parties would save a few bucks per month.

to all the people on sprint who are complaining: you guys are truly pathetic. in a time where kids matter and people are dying or losing their jobs or losing loved ones to natural disasters and deaths, you have the nerve to pout like a little baby about....a phone. this isn't what life is about. go out and talk to someone, have a good conversation with an old bud. put your dying pre down and talk to a real person. if you really feel strongly about having a new phone, webos or not, then save up and get one. if its on another carrier, cool. there is more to life than webos, trust me.

and to tell you honestly derek, i skimmed over 90% of the post because most of it is just coddling. can we move on from this? finally? the 50 bucks off was the make it right, so that's that. it's done. please don't write garbage like this in the future trying to explain the rationale behind the universe for not blessing sprint with the pre 3.

I recently made the decision to dump my Pre- for a Samsung Nexus S. While it was a really tough decision, I felt as though it offered everything I had been missing with my Pre-. Great hardware, fast updates, developer support, and a fully integrated google experience (I use picasa, google docs, gmail, and now google music).

I will be keeping an eye on Precentral for a while to come and look forward to all the reviews of the Touchpad and Pre3. If HP plays their cards right and Sprint gets the Pre3, I may come back but for now I'm confident in my decision to leave WebOS.

I'm not someone who would leave my carrier for a Pre3. The monthly savings are far too valuable and now that sprint charges the 10/premium data charge for all smartphones - it doesn't make sense to wait for a Pre 4g. Mine as well jump on now the 4g bandwagon now.

I emailed Dan the other day and here is what the Rep told me. "Sprint will not be offering a WebOs device anytime in the near future".

I feel Sprint has tons of corporate accounts that would mesh well with HP's strength in the corporate area. If they both got smart and worked together they could do a lot of damage to RIM's market share which is already on the decline.

I am not 100% sure but I also heard Sprint has not settled on a 4G platform and that is also part of the reason HP has not announced a phone for Sprint.

Now marketing, most companies would love the loyal following WebOs has on Sprint. I personally have sold and recommended over 50 Pre's. So looking at what some say is a small WebOs user base, you also have to times that exponentially because that base is going to sell you a ton more phones. I don't see any android users doing this.

Yes the initial Pre was not good for Sprint, but do you cut ties right when WebOs is ready to take off?

Personally I have been very happy with Sprint. Customer service has exceeded my expectations and never had thoughts of switching. But in the end I am contemplating making a switch or downgrading my phone to something else.

Seriously, All the bitching here and on the HP / Palm facebook page is downright embarrassing. HP does not owe you people anything. You got a phone and used it for two years, it's time to get a new phone, hp doesn't owe you a discount.

I'm going where the Pre 3 is. If that's on Verizon so be it. If it cost me a little more, so be it.

While reading some of these posts that keep saying the ball is in Sprint's court I thought that it is funny that the trolls over on Sprint's forums and FaceBook page keep saying the ball is in HP's court. "You webOSies have no idea what you are talking about... HP just needs to make a better phone" they say... While all this pointing back and forth is dramatic and disrespectful, it isn't really accomplishing anything. The gist of these articles is people think what they think! However, I do not want the 20-30 people who keep interjecting themselves in a troll like manner representing either side.

These articles include good information and some great opinions. But, what we need to keep this from evolving into a a firestorm over and over again is for someone from one or both of these companies to say something more than they have. We need information! Why do they think they need to keep all this stuff secret anyways?

To help us put all this in perspective we need some real numbers: How many Sprint Pres/Pixis are there? How many total WebOS devices are out there? How many Apps have been purchased? How much money has past thru the AppCat? etc. etc... Along with the continued summaries of what people are feeling/saying in the forums, twitter posts, Facebook posts, etc. These are things I expect PreCentral and its users to be able to get! We need more information.

PS: At somepoint you are going to have to rename or piggyback in WebOSCentral.net and transition us away from the Treo/Pre names...

My Pre I got on launch day just bit the dust in the last week. Instead of jumping to an EVO, I used my total protection plan to get a refurbished Pre. I like WebOS too much to jump ship, even if the original Pre is horribly outdated and the app selection is nothing compared to other phones. I will be at Sprint Store on launch day of a new WebOS phone if and when that day comes. I really wish that day would come sooner rather than later!

I'm a day 1 Sprint Pre user who has been patiently waiting...and waiting. I wanted the Pre 3 and if the Pre 3 was coming to Sprint, I was going cell my Ipad and get a TouchPad.

Much to my surprise, last week I received not 1, but 2 calls from HP asking about my interest in purchasing the new TouchPad. I was very frank with both and said if the Pre 3 were available through Sprint I'd want both.

Before you jump to conclusions that I should simply leave Sprint... here's my situation.

I have a 5 person family plan. My wife and I, and our son, son-in-law, and daughter. Each of us share a portion of the monthly billing. The 4 of them have phones ranging from HTC Hero, Samsung Epic 4G and and old LG. Each with a different "upgrade" date.

Leaving Sprint would not be an easy option as everyone would also have to leave or pay a high price.

So, I'm inclinded to wait one more month and at that time if no Pre 3 is available (or some other new WebOS phone)...then I'm moving on to a Galaxy SII.

I jumped off the webOS ship last week and got an Evo 3D. It doesn't have all the charm and finesse of a Pre, but damn is it a capable phone. I can do so much more. Not all of it is as intuitive, but part of this is just being used to one system over another. It's starting to get through to me that people can use any of these OS's for the most part, to get the job done. It all comes down to personal preferences, but even those can be overcome in time.

I love the webOS community and I'm rooting for webOS to succeed, but I'm tired of exhausting myself waiting and hoping, or just being constantly dissapointed and angry. Life's too short. As others have indicated, there are definite financial advantages to Sprint over the other carriers for some of us, but there are other reasons as well (Net Neutrality, political funding, etc). The whole "loyalty" thing seems a bit silly to me. We're not talking about overthrowing a government or cheating on your significant other, we're talking about a mobile device. Some people take this stuff way too personally. I'd have preferred to stay "loyal" to webOS, but that wasn't possible, or at least I felt it wasn't for me. Maybe one day I'll be back, or maybe I'll end up with an Android phone but a webOS tablet - cats and dogs living together! ;-)

While I've moved on, though, I feel the pain of my fellow webOS compatriots who are still hanging on in the hopes that Sprint will EVENTUALLY offer them something, or perhaps contemplating moving to a different carrier. What bothers me though is how some folks (Ulairi's just the blatent example here) what to restrict other people's ability to express their frustration because they've decided to become the arbiter of what others should or shouldn't feel. Pretty much the height of presumption right there...

I see a lot of folks are complaining and talking about how they can't stand Sprint or HP/Palm for that matter. Well here is some truth for you all one how do we officially know that a webOS device is or isn't coming to Sprint, **** we don't even know officially from HP/Palm what carrier it is coming to beyond leaked images and FCC filings. Everyone is worked up but their has been no official word coming out of HP/Palms mouth and until I get it official all this is is just speculation and talk. So why all the sad faces I mean it's not like we know anything official and HP/Palm sucks at the entire announcement and release dates and what carriers it is coming to. So again what are you all upset for when all we have is speculation and rumors, maybe HP/Palm have not made anything official because they are trying to iron out all the details with the carriers here in the US and Sprint maybe in the bucket of carriers. So stop complaining and jumping the gun when we know nothing official right now.

The ball is not in HP's court. Its in Sprints court. I'll guarantee HP would ship the Pre3 to Sprint in a heart beat if they were to ask for it. Sprint is betting that the webOS loyal are more loyal to Sprint than they are to webOS. So in the end if any one want's to bad mouth a company they should bad mouth Sprint for not listening to they're customers. HP has delivred now the ball is in Sprints court.

Why would you want to pay more for less (I guess like the T-Mobile commercial... "it makes sense if you don't think about it."), being on Sprint... I can make and accept calls from almost anywhere with my unlimited calling plan due to unlimited talk on Sprint cell towers and all roaming cell towers. Not only that, but I am paying much less for my family plan compared to a plan with much less option on either Verizon or AT&T.

At that point with all of the negatives, why would anyone choose to use carriers which obviously are at a disadvantage due to user and carrier based facts. "Is it some kind of social status, I doubt it" because I look at other users and all their troubles and just say to them... "I have been with Sprint for 10+ years now and have had only one major issue with them "and it was partially my fault".

I absolutely don't care about "Oh, but AT&T has the latest and greatest phones"... my last rebuttal is "but can you use it and the service for 10 years without a single bad thing to say except for a time when it was pretty much your fault?"...

Since the last prl update my phone has been constantly dropping the data connection. I've read on the sprint facebook page that there is an issue that is supposed to be fixed in July. I don't use my phone for calls often enough to know if it is causing an issue with calls as well. When I called to complain about the 10.00 fee for reactivating my old treo 755, the rep was really nice and offered me a 75.00 credit to offset it. I had to call back 3-4 times to finally get it removed as what she did was a contract extension with out telling me. So right now my service is poor, I've had a bad experience with customer service, and if the pre does come to sprint, I'm paying 10.00 more when I can pay about the same with verizon since they have call plans with less minutes. (Sprint family plan 1500, if we do 300 minutes between both phones its a miracle). I'd prefer to stay with sprint, I've always had good service in the past, but their premium fee puts them in line with the other carriers now. I'd get an employee discount with both companies.

We have a similar problem in Canada. Bell is still trying to blow out the old Pre- phones (we never even got the Pre+ or Pixi!) and has a no comment when asked about the Pre2 or Veer (a what?!).
The Pre2 came to Rogers who has done a dismal job of marketing it. You can't even find it at any of their stores and it's buried at the bottom of their website. Sadly, we can't even buy the unlocked version in Canada.
HP really needs to step up their marketing campaign here, otherwise WebOS will die.

All this may the real WebOS fan stand up is all so funny. Hey if webOS was only on virgin Mobile or cricket wireless... what if it cost the same as the first iPhone $600... WOULD YOU BUY IT THEN...
yea right. I am not a mindless WebOS fan? Heck no... I am not like the IOS fan boys..

the blame is on both Sprint for not respecting the original WebOS fans and cutting a deal with HP. And HP for not creating a WebOS/WebOS lite for all of the Sprint Pre's. If Loyal Sprint Pre users are using homebrew to upgrade to 2.1 then why can't HP?

and as for the Touch to share.. it should work with the Pre ( using the coil to enable the bluetooth/wifi data communication )

I'm about to make the EVO 3-D my next phone. Here is my take. I love webos like everybody else but my phone just won't hold together much longer. The hardware is aging and not in a good way. Also the app selection just isn't complete anymore. I see what apps are available on the other platforms and that rubs me the wrong way. Also IF (and that is a big if) the Pre3 does make it onto Sprint, there is no indication it will use WiMAX. If I am to get a new webos phone, that is a must. And finally there is that little trust issue. I know this has been beat to death. But when you here about all the goodies on webos 2.xx and how much you will enjoy it only to find out after the release your device won't be able to use it properly, that creates trust issues.

Derek, you're a man amongst men, and I envy this writing. It's poignant and spot on. I'm one of the Sprint Pre- owners that stuck from the beginning...had more than six friends switch to the Pre, and waited patiently for the Pre3 to come to Sprint. But alas, I couldn't hold out any longer and got me a nice, shiny new Nexus S 4G.

I'm loyal to both webOS and sprint. Sprint because they save me $100 or more vs other carriers. WebOS because, in my opinion, it is the best mobile OS. despite it's lack of maybe a few things. Notably home (launcher) screen widgets. Not much of a lack in my opinion. After having used android for over 6 months now I only use one widget for weather and don't like any of the others preloaded etc. I had no webOS option when my launch day pre's screen broke.

Android is a great OS too. Once you tweak it to your liking and get a few must have utility apps. But webOS does multitasking much better with the card design. For me it is much quicker to switch between apps to do what I need to do. Plus I don't have to worry about if an app is open still or not. There have been a number of occations on android where I was using and switching back and forth several apps to have the OS kill one or more of them making extra work for me.

Anyways with all that said, I'd be using a webOS device right now had sprint not disapointed a lot of us by not getting the pre 2. I would have made due with the smaller screen to stay on webOS until HP released a 4 inch or larger screen webOS smartphone. After trying 2.5, 3, 3.5, and 4 inch screens 4 inch is the sweet spot. My next webOS device will most likely be the 7 inch tablet unless they release a 4 inch screen smartphone first. And bottom line I'll have both as soon as possible.

Not joining in on the argument for/against leaving Sprint, just an observation :

If Sprint chooses not to carry the Pre3 after all of you have expressed a deep desire to purchase one, then Sprint is not being loyal to YOU.

That is why I left Sprint and got a Pre2 on Verizon. I have unlimited data over here (and will be grandfathered when the tiers take effect) and I'm paying the same amount per month that I was on Sprint for my individual plan (I was paying the $10 extra per month for nothing on Sprint since I'd updated to the Epic and had no 4g service).

The only thing I've lost in the transition is the GPS service. I've essentially swapped that for a better network and noticeably better call quality at low signal levels. Works for me (might not work for others, I understand).

WebOS fan here. Just as it has been stated before, I love WebOS and continue to support via app purchases and 'small' donations to homebrew community and prefer Sprint compared to other mobile carriers. Mainly in part to the pricing, but I have also worked for AT&T. While they are very willing to work with the billing issues that arise (and many issues DO arise) there is still a significant difference in the two companies. Had Verizon many years ago and was not exactly 'impressed'. I am not willing to make the carrier switch simply for my like in phone, yet. I have upgraded my 2 yr old Pre- to 2.0, purchased multiple refurbs and many other things that I have NEVER done for a phone before. So I would definitely consider myself a WebOS fan, but I am a senisible person first.
I do not want to continue repeating what has already been said. But I was wondering if P|C could maybe get in contact with some higher-ups @ sprint and see what they need to feel comfortable with bringing the Pre 3 to these customer that have not made any add'l purchases from them within the life of their Pre's. Will affirmation from all the Sprint adopters, that we are still waiting (even though they should be able to see that we have not and probably will not upgrade)? Have they researched the history of sales from their competitors for WebOS devices?
While I may not be willing to switch carriers (at this very moment, contract ends in less than a month so that may change soon), I am also not willing to choose another OS until I have exhausted every chance to keep WebOS; which once again means no contract extension or any $$ for another device from Sprint. But I am very sure there are a nice number of supporters that ARE willing to make that change.
The fact that I am willing to speak up, when I am rarely vocal on boards and all the measures taken to keep my Pre- running and stay away from Android, IOS, etc. should show that I am a LOYAL supporter and I am in for the long haul. Kinda mad at HP for some reasons (mentioned millions of times), but disappointed in Sprint for the most obvious reasons -- no WebOS love.

This describes my sentiment in EXACT detail and form. I have been VERY patient with the Palm Pre, which I have had since release day. I have gone through 3 or 4 replacements, and even to this day have continued to speak loudly for WebOS, and be a defender of this great platform. Now my wife has the EVO 3D, and I simply DO NOT WANT android, but am feeling stuck, and quite frankly, betrayed by Sprint, or HP, just not sure which one. This milk, which at one time, was very sweet tasting, is now getting sour, and I don't know how much longer I can hold on until I spew.

I have be EXTREMELY excited about the TouchPad, but no so much now, if I can't get the Phone hardware to fully compliment a TouchPad. I simply will not run a WebOS TouchPad, if I am forced to adapt to Android on a phone. And if that's the case, not so sure that I am thrilled with Sprint anymore after nearly 10 years.

If it makes you feel better, the real problem is between the two. It costs extra money for a manufacturer to make a version of their phone for a specific carrier. As a result, there has to be some assurance that the carrier in question will try to sell it.

So, HP is probably ready to make a Sprint version, but if Sprint isn't ready to commit to at least making a decent effort to sell it, why would HP put in the extra cost to make a phone that Sprint won't even try to sell? On the flip side, Sprint could have required certain guarantees that quality issues will be addressed rapidly after the original Pre, and Sprint has probably not done that, or HP may have rejected it.

Either way, it isn't like the world of GSM, where HP can make one general version, so Sprint people have to do SOME work on that end. You can of course hack WebOS 2.1 onto your original Pre, but with only 256MB of memory, it may feel extra slow.

Just remember, there may be a FrankenPre 3 in your future if that will even be possible. Sprint hasn't offered any newer WebOS devices, so the comm board in the original Pre may or may not work in a Pre 3, only time will tell.

i don't see other carriers trying very hard...went to a verizon store when the pre2 came out and noone new anything about it....didn't even have one on display....Just saying...but i do like the last paragraph of your post

For heavens sake, when will the Sprint folks quit whining about how they have been abandoned. Look if you want a WebOS phone switch to the network they are on. If It was only avaiable on Sprint then I would move over to Sprint from Verizon, I would not be crying over it. It really is getting old. Grow up people, it is freaking phone. Not your whole life.

To be fair, AT&T and Verizon both did a horrible job when they started offering the Pre Plus and Pixi Plus. Seriously, they put the phones in cases, with the slider closed, and didn't show it to prospective customers unless the customer knew about the phone in advance and wanted to check it out.

Sprint at least did a decent job of trying to sell the Pre when it first came out, even with the build quality issues. So, speaking for WebOS fans on OTHER networks, we have not been treated very well, with delayed OS releases, and a complete lack of communication about if/when we would see releases that were already available in Europe.

Think about it, what we ALL want, no matter what carrier we may prefer, is for the phone we want to be available to US, without the headache of switching carriers. HP really should have just abandoned the concept that the carriers will provide support since they don't really support us anyway, and that would free them to release OS updates when THEY want to, not when someone else says they can.

IF WEBOS IS NOT COMING TO SPRINT - I WILL NOT LEAVE BECAUSE AT&T AND VERIZON WAITING TO TRY AND RAPE ME AND IM NOT WILLING TO LET THAT HAPPEN SO THEY CAN GO KISS WHERE THE SUN DOESNT SHINE! IF EVENTUALLY SAMSUNG STARTS PUTTING WEBOS ON THEIR PHONES... GREAT! I WILL SWITCH BACK AS SOON AS ITS AVAILABLE!

I'm a Pre minus owner who still has his original phone. I really enjoyed Web OS. I'm not giving up on the Pre, my Pre is physically giving up on me. Moving to ATT or Verizon is not an option. ATT at least in my city and when inside any structure larger than a house, is abysmal. Iphone users in my building are constantly trying to find windows(ironic since it's and Apple product that needs windows to work) to catch calls. Verizon has excellent coverage but the new data plans are harder to decipher than the US tax code. I'll stick with Sprint for now which means EVO 3D here i come. I'm sure I'd much rather have a Pre 3(Vaporware) but I can't wait for a phone that more than likely won't be supported any better than the Pre minus. Remember it was supposed to be Flash capable when it was Demo'd in January of 2009. I feel like HP and Sprint gave up on the Pre long before me.

Hard to say that HP is giving up on an OS it rescued from death less than a year ago. Seriously, Palm was always saddled with so much debt and need to return on investment that it's amazing it developed WebOS before it went swirling into the abyss of history.

And now HP has pretty much bet their future on WebOS.

So I don't blame HP.

Sprint, on the other hand, reminds me of the software developers that declared Apple dead in the months before the first iMac came out. They seem to have bet everything on HTC and Android and to have simply walked away from the OS everyone else will scramble to imitate.

I'm actually pretty happy with the way HP is making it right. I'm also getting used to the idea that me and my seven pre minus accounts are going off to another carrier. I'd rather not, but Sprint isn't very interested in keeping me it seems.

In looking at pricing AT&T aren't that far off what I was paying and I won't have to worry about calling Sprint every month to correct their billing issues (ever try adding up all the bold numbers on your Sprint bill and find they are less than the shown total?).

I really do like Sprint, I warm on AT&T, and I hate Verizon, so it looks like AT&T will be the one I write a check for $500.00 every month to, and not Sprint.

Moved to Sprint to get the Palm Pre after more than a decade with Verizon and its predecessors. I don't like to shift my carrier back-and-forth, it's a pain in the butt, but it's preferable to keep the interface I like rather than to settle for whatever the carrier is offering. So I moved to get the Palm Pre, not to be rid of Verizon or to get Sprint.

Two years down the road, and Sprint hasn't offered a single WebOS upgrade from the Pre-. Not one.

So I'll move back to Verizon which, it should be noted, has offered two newer iterations of the Pre while Sprint offered nothing, and is about to offer its third. No biggie.

I couldn't have said it better myself and I am in the exact same position. Its a small headache for me to switch between carriers like I did from Verizon to Sprint for the Pre and I'll do it again if it means staying with the webOS ecosystem. I've sent my e-mail to Dan Hesse and to Sprint and one to HP just to kindly let them know my opinion. Not that it will change anything or this will but I just wanted to add my voice on here and let them know my position.

Hopefully our small but loyal minority can make some impact. I will wait a few (very few) months if Sprint gives some hint that they will indeed carry the Pre 3. After that I am following the device.

Totally true. I never would have kept the Pre if the OS had been craptacular like the Iphone or driod OS. Even the windows OS is trying to rip off webos and still failing. A teller tried to sell me one the other day I went in to upgrade my moms phone. Of course he didn't let me play with one but he did give me the spiel. Sprint has till my birthday in the beginning of October or I'm paying the huge fees for cancellation and just getting out of dodge. Whats the point of having a phone that I can't have replaced since they don't carry in store models or even carry them in the system. Oh and don't get me started on the OS update!

As a life long Philadelphia sports fan I am used to cheering for the underdog. But i will not leave Sprint to pay more per month for less service. I have been a customer on every carrier at some point. Verizon has good coverage, high prices, and bad customer service. Tmobile has **** coverage and nothing to brag about price wise. ATT has the worse coverage in my area, high priced plans, and complete **** for customer service. Sprint is the 1st carrier ive been 100% happy with. My bill is the same EVERY month. Customer service reps are polite and speak proper english. And unless im driving all the way to Atlantic City on the phone, i havent had a single unexplained droped call in my 2 years with them.

Great article, Derek, true to the core.
I for one and for what its worth, am disgusted by this lame and cynical move of HP, trying to boost presumably abysmall sales of Touchpad, at the expense of sorry suckers, that happened to be early adopters of webOS, and trying to disguise that utterly cynical move as 'making things right'... In your dreams, HP, only in your dreams.
This is not enough, to make things right, and this is unacceptable.

HP, you are very cynical and very arogant company, one that treats your customers as **** and not very brainy **** at that. You will probably get burned for this. At least I hope so.

I sent a very condensed version of this article to the HP CEO and shortly after recieved a call from their WebOS customer service group. We talked for about 10 minutes. He was very professional and polite and asssured me that my comments would be sent to those in charge of WebOS strategy. He encouraged me that we should continue to make as much noise as possible and that they know we are our here. I encourage everyone here to send a similar email. Perhaps because the email was 1200 words it got their attention.

I still have the original Pre, and I love it! The phone works fine, but it is getting very long in the tooth. I really don't like Android, but there may be a ray of hope for me. The iPhone!

I've given up on WebOS coming to Sprint. It's not going to happen anytime soon. AT&T and Verizon will get the Pre3 and then maybe 2 years later Sprint will get it. By then Sprint will have the iPhone and I will have the iPhone 5 or 6.

I have been with Sprint for 10 years and with a Palm for most of that. WebOS was a huge leap forward. But over the past two years service has suffered and quick turn and run away from WebOS is problematic. If no Pre3 for Sprint I will look somewhere else and will be willing to pay a light premium for that.
-Kevin

On launch day of the OG Pre, we bought 4 and never looked back (until they ALL broke, that is).

Reluctantly, we have moved on to an EVO, and EVO Shift, and 2 HTC Arrives. It's unanimous:

WE. WANT. WebOS. BACK.

I have been visiting this site DAILY hopeful of a WebOS return to Sprint. **** I'm even excited by other OSes using WebOS-like features.

It amazes me how many others share the same sentiment. Understandably, we are a small market. A niche market, if you will. But we are a market nonetheless and we must make our voices heard! Thank you PreCentral for being the platform for such a conversation!

Great article! You hit the nail on the head. I've got an original Pre on Sprint (my 4th one, first two traded under warranty due to those pesky quality issues). This one is barely limping along. It gets bogged down, is fairly unresponsive, and seems like its on its last legs.

But I still really love webOS. And I really do like Sprint. My contract is up in August. I really want a Pre3 (or better!) on Sprint, but if I HAVE to switch, I might. Verizon's data caps are a good push to keep me with Srint though.

Man.. is 12:30 am and I was ready to sleep when I came across with this post, you hit the nail with Thor Hammer's Dude! you couldn't be more right in the frustration that the whole Webos community around the world has. do you know how many times I wanted to get out of the Restaurant line and get a Mcdonald's around the corner. I just can't believe that Apple has launch 2 Ipads, google got his Xoom Honeystorm! and Hp doenst have An Hpad Yet!...I've been 3 years frustrated with with my first generation p- Pre that i bought the first saturday morning when they launched back in may 2009. I've been tempted many times to eat an apple or to finger the Honey...but man WebOs is just perfection in the wrong hands, I can't leave my black brick, I just can't.. still running 1.4.5 at 300Mhz..I don't understand why it takes to long to Rocky to stand up and beat the S*** out the others. Hey HP I have an Idea for you, get 10 of the best loyal developers Like jason R. and others around and put it in a room together and make them think what can be done to improve the system. I got another hint! Give me some widgets, give me a column where you can stack and scroll the app, give me the freedom of a rotated wheel where you can pick a card like in itunes, I allowed you to get another designers like Samsung and Htc so you can increase the size a little bit and don't forget that SPRINT was the place where Webos was launched So by Default it will always be his home and the American underdog that always deserve the chance...

Spoke to the HP rep at my best buy this weekend, and he said the Pre3 is goimg to be released July 27. When I asked him about sprint prospects he said right now they are only targeting at&t. We'll see what actually unfolds.

Sprint plans are cheaper than anything out there so if PRE 3 does not come to Sprint soon I will be moving to Android. I hope WEBOS users are not as dumb as IPHONE users and be willing to pay top dollars for a phone like our IPHONE friends did.